Saturday, October 30, 2010

Thanks, Juno

Thanks to Netflix convincing my husband that they are a good idea, we have a ton of movies just waiting for us.... And since we've gone to the movies, like, four times in the past two years, we have a lot of catching up to do.

Juno was tonight's selection, and it was a great movie! Smart, quirky, good music, not too heavy, it respected motherhood. HOWEVER, I don't know if like what it did to my husband. He got caught up in the "decorating the nursery" and the "baby's kicking!" talk. At the end he was "Aaaawwww, baby!" Meanwhile, I was thinking, "Ugh... Morning sickness! Third trimester! Labor! Newborn nursing schedule!" Yeah. I'm definitely not ready for another one yet.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Assignment: A Rainbow on the Farm

I'm trying... TRYING to learn how to use my camera better. As a matter of fact, that's one of my goals for this coming winter. Read and learn how it actually works. Maybe take a class. Get the right equipment to help me.

We were at my parent's house this past week, it was a gorgeous day, and the kids were napping, so I decided to take my camera for a walk. I gave myself an assignment, aimed at improving my artistic view. Find a rainbow of pictures: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple. My dad was shelling corn with his combine, so I tried to draw from that as much as possible.

Red:
Crab apples. The only thing crab apples are good for is apple sauce... or throwing at one another.

Red peppers. We have canned a ton of pepper relish this past month. My husband is very much enjoying this part of farm life.


Orange:
Corn cobs. Seldom do you see this part of the corn.

A bumble bee on a mum.


Yellow:
Corn, still on the stalk.

Shelled corn on the dump truck, with the combine in the background.


Green:
The John Deere Combine. (That was an easy one to choose to photograph.)



Innards of the John Deere Combine.

A green tomato. A hard frost was predicted for that night, so who knows if this guy survived to the next day.


Blue:
The Ford tractor that helped get the job done.


The sky.



Purple.
Violets.


Seed pods.

And finally, Black.
The craft that my mom made with Miss B.

It went okay. There are a few of these that I really like. Some are ho-hum. But that's what it's about- seeing what you did and thinking of how to improve it next time.

Artistic Expression

Miss B..... She's been wanting and wanting to take pictures. And there's no way in HELL I'm going to let her touch my good camera.

*Ahem* I mean.... Being the enriching mother that I am, I want her to encourage any interests in self-expression. Soooo, I dug out the point and click camera, put some new batteries in it, and let her go to town.

I haven't actually viewed any of the photos that she's taken, but I think her subject matter and composition are going to be..... um.... shall we say, very interesting? :)






Pictures in the bathroom, while sitting on multiple toilets. She is SUCH her father's child.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Spoiled Rotten?

The Hubs... I don't know what I'm going to do with him. He is extravagant, too extravagant, with his gift giving...

Our ninth anniversary was last week. On Saturday night we went out to dinner, just the two of us. Bella Vista on Mount Washington, reservations were for 7pm, window table. We got to see the city while it was still light out, the fireworks after the Pitt game ended, and then the sun went down and the majority of our meal was spend looking out over the city at night. A gorgeous way to spend time together and start making Pittsburgh our own, our home.

After dinner, he gave me my gift. I knew the price range, but I didn't know the future cost of my gift. He gave me Rosetta Stones' learning Italian, lessons one through five. He's giving me a year to learn Italian so that next year, for our tenth anniversary, we can spend two weeks wandering around Italy. No tour guide, no plan, just the two of us.


The Pros:
It would be a wonderful trip!!! I love spending time with just him! It would be a fantastic adventure! I mean, come one, who wouldn't love to wander around Italy in the crisp fall weather with their spouse?!?!

I'm not planning on being pregnant or having a newborn at this time next year! The kids will be three and almost two. No one will be in school, (B isn't going to preschool until she is four) so they can go stay with someone, no problem!


The Cons:
This trip is going to cost a lot of cold hard ca$h. A lot. I know we will be able to afford the trip- it's not going to put us into debt, or anything. But, we are currently in the process of saving up for the down payment on The Dream House. The big one- five bedrooms, a master bath, walk in closets, a huge kitchen, first floor laundry, swing set out back, big yard.... You know, THAT house. Currently (while we save up) we are in a three bedroom, all one floor so it seems smaller than it really is, loud at all hours upstairs neighbors, no yard, condo. I do NOT like living in this condo and want to get out of here ASAP! I'm afraid that this trip would mean spending $8,000 (I'm guessing, here) that would've gone toward a house's down payment, and will cause us to stay here in the condo for an extra year.

The kids. Where do they go? At this time next year, none of our parents could watch them. It's his mom's busy time of the year at school so she couldn't take two weeks off of work. His dad is still in a contract job, so taking two full weeks off would be impossible. My mom is a teacher- I don't think she even has two full weeks of vacation days that she could even use. It's harvest season for my dad, who is retired and almost any other time of year it would be no problem. But at planting time and harvest time, he's gotta get stuff done when the weather allows it.

This is The Hubs' dream trip. He's the wine lover, he's the one that wants to go to Europe. I know, I know, it's his anniversary too! But don't mask this gift as giving me something that I want. MY dream trip is going someplace hot- as in, all I have to pack is a suitcase full of bathing suits, sundresses, and sandals. He knows this. Every time we've gone on a ski vacation, I mention something about, "When am I going to get my cruise?"



Then today, I find out from my brother that The Hubs has been planning this for a long time. Great. How do I not offend him if I suggest we wait on this? Because I'm not saying we don't do this trip at all!!!!! I'm just saying we wait a few more years! In five years we'll have The Dream House. In five years, my mom will be retired and can watch kids. In the next five years I (hopefully) will have gotten my cruise.

Maybe I'm just spoiled rotten, and I'm unappreciative.

Thoughts??? Comments, please!!!